Duane Washington delivered a career-defining performance on Friday as Partizan Mozzat Bet Belgrade rallied for a 79-76 victory over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade at the Belgrade Arena.
Trailing by 16 points late in the third quarter, Partizan staged a dramatic comeback, sparked by Washington, who scored 25 points, including free throws in the final seconds.
Isaac Bonga also contributed a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyrique Jones added 15 points and 8 boards to stabilize Partizan’s internal play.
Crvena Zvezda had the lead for most of the game and held a 60-44 lead late in the third quarter behind Jared Butler and Jordan Nwora. Butler finished with 20 points, and Nwora matched that total, scoring 13 in the fourth to keep the game close.
Partizan’s rally started with a 5-0 run to end the third quarter, but it was Washington’s aggressive attacking and shooting that swung the momentum firmly in the home side’s favor.
For Crvena Zvezda, defensive mistakes and Partizan’s relentless pressure in the fourth quarter proved costly. Despite the efforts of Nwora and Butler, the visitors fell to 9–6 and suffered a third defeat in four games.
Partizan improved to 6-9 with the win and will host Virtus Bologna before traveling to Zalgiris Kaunas in double week. Crvena Zvezda heads to Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv and will host Virtus Bologna next.
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